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Take 30 days to 'Refresh from Stress'

The Faculty Staff Assistance Program and Healthy Emory are partnering once again on ‘Refresh from Stress: 30-day Inspiration’ to encourage faculty and staff to take simple steps toward improving stress management and resilience. The program runs during October.

Everyone needs ways to de-stress and regroup, whether it’s taking a walk, playing with a pet or making a conscious effort to breathe deeply and clear your mind.

Participating in the annual “Refresh from Stress: 30-day Inspiration” program from Healthy Emory and the Faculty Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) can help you discover new stress relieving tactics to try — while the program runs during October, and beyond.

Haley Murray, senior operations manager at Goizueta Business School, is a regular participant of the annual “Refresh From Stress” campaign. She wants other Emory employees to know why she takes good care of her health. “I feel that mental health is very important, and Refresh From Stress really asks participants to focus on their mental well-being and take care of themselves emotionally,” she says.

Janeth Romero, a nurse tech II with the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at the Emory University Hospital Tower, also uses Healthy Emory programs to help manage stress. She prioritizes opportunities to take care of herself while she focuses on taking care of her patients.

“When working 12-hour days, I find that reducing stress and managing tension can be a challenge but necessary,” Romero says. When Romero encounters coworkers who are struggling with stress or difficulties, she listens. “I’ve found that engaging in Healthy Emory programs is a great resource to start with.”

Starting Oct. 1, Refresh From Stress offers support for faculty, staff and health care workers who may feel overwhelmed, anxious and emotionally exhausted right now, especially given the impact of the ongoing pandemic. The month’s activities are also good outlets for those who are dealing with stressful events or seeking new ways to relax and recharge.

“I want to be proactive about my health,” says Murray. “I have felt more supported and confident in my health journey and am more motivated to try new things and keep moving forward.”

Refresh from Stress was designed for employees to quickly access daily activities and experience effective, yet simple techniques to practice self-care, mindfulness and social connections along with gratitude and resilience. 

This year’s program focuses on three themes to help keep self-care, social connections and mindfulness top of mind. Using the 2021 Refresh from Stress calendar makes tracking progress in Health Emory Connect easy. Plus, participation incentives are even more flexible this year — only 10 completed activities are needed to earn points toward medical plan incentives and to be eligible to win great prizes. In addition, Emory will offer special drawings to all eligible employees who complete 15 activities.

Most activities take less than 10 or 15 minutes to complete; participants can choose from several options or create their own.

Sheryl Heron serves as professor and vice-chair of faculty equity, engagement and empowerment for the Department of Emergency Medicine, and associate dean for the School of Medicine’s community engagement, equity  and inclusion. She makes time to refresh, even in her busy schedule.

“Now more than ever, we must take time to Refresh from Stress. The reminder to do so encourages us to remain whole, grounded, and not spiral into the challenges each day may bring. I've participated in Refresh from Stress and have been better for it,” Heron says.

To register, log into your Healthy Emory Connect account and look for Refresh From Stress under the “Social” and "Challenges" tabs. Don't have a Healthy Emory Connect account? Learn more at www.healthy.emory.edu/connect.

For more information, visit the Refresh from Stress web page.


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